Chanel’s famous 2.55 Quilted handbag with its trademark gold chain and clasps is one of the most popular designer handbags from the house of Chanel – ever.

With a price tag of £1500 it is beyond the reach of many, but Peacocks have now produced a close replica, priced much lower than the Chanel original.

But the cute quilted black shoulder bags acted as magnets for fashionistas across the UK and the bag was a sell-out: Peacocks sold more than 20,000 in just eight weeks.

This handbag from Peacocks was featured in the Daily Mail as a “luxury lookalike” for fashionistas who crave that Designer style without the high price tag. Quilted in heart shapes, with a gold catch and double gold chain with black threaded through it. The chain is approx 64cm long (when double). The bag measures approx 27cm x 17cm with a striped cotton lining and inner zipped pocket. Inspired by the £1500 Designer version carried by celebrities such like Kate Moss, Victoria Beckham and Renee Zellweger, thanks to this clever design you can get the It bag look for much much less (pictured above).

There is a great range of Chanel-inspired bags on sale at Peacocks, at tiny prices.  You can indulge your passion  for the designer look at the Peacocks online shop.

The authentic Chanel bag on which this is modelled, is named the 2.55, as it was created in February 1955. This long standing Accessory is still a huge fashion ‘must have’ today. Read more »

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Victoria Beckham this week dressed to her usual immaculate best for an appearance at the High Court in London. The lovely one was not in the dock, instead she was there to receive an apology from their former nanny for disclosing private and confidential information about the Beckhams. As they emerged from the courts, Victoria Beckham was wearing a figure-hugging dogtooth check dress with a boat collar, her trademark oversized Gucci shades and black-grey T Bar shoes. 
On her right arm she carried a Chanel Kelly bag which clearly inspired the Audrey Hepburn look. This beautiful version of the quilted Chanel bag has a grab handle instead of the chain used on the 2.55. Lucky Victoria Beckham also owns an oversize Chanel chain handbag as well, which she has used on various engagements with the children.

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I miss the handbag shops the most now that I no longer live in the capital. There is nothing like the range of shops here in Sussex. Brighton is about the best place round here for  designer bags, but that is a poor comparison to London’s West End. Last week I went to the Chanel boutique in London’s Old Bond Street and I was blown away with the beautiful things on offer. I have always been a big fan of Chanel fragrances: my favourite is Coco, followed by Allure and No.5. I recently decided that there is no point in bothering with other perfumes as I always ignore them in favour of Chanel. Well the Chanel Boutique is a fantasy playground for a Chanel fan like me! I confess that I had no idea there was another range of fragrances created by Coco, called “Les Exclusifs de Chanel”. They are all on display in the boutique and there is a card with the name of each, so you can spray a sample on to it and you will have a record of your favourite. Each one represents a different time or memory in the life of Coco Chanel, they include Gardenia, Coromandel, Bel Respiro, and – my top scent – 31, Rue Cambon. That was the address of Coco Chanel’s first shop in Paris, where the legend began.

But get to the bags, Flora – that is why we are here, I told myself. The handbag I wanted to see and touch was the famous Chanel 2.55 reissue chain shoulder bag, originally created by Coco Chanel in February 1955. The chain is interwoven with leather to match the colour of the handbag – black, white or silver. It is available in three different sizes: the smallest is like a purse, the largest is more like a tote, but for me the best sizes is the middle one, which is 10″ long. This is the Chanel bag that has been copied widely by other companies and there’s always a good reason for that. Coco was not phased by her work being copied by other designers – she would have been more concerned if nobody thought it worth copying.

The design of the Chanel 2.55 handbag is, like the fragrances, completely personalised to Coco Chanel. She wanted to design a shoulder bag, unusual in those times, to free up women’s hands for drinking champagne and applying makeup – all the important activities. The assistant showed me all the little details that were included to suit Coco’s requirements. On the back of the bag is a small outer pocket where some coins could be kept, to be given as tips to doormen or taxi drivers. remember, this was 1955! Inside there are two pockets: one is for a powder compact, the other was for a compact of solid perfume – this is no longer on sale but the pocket is still there. I suppose most of us would put a phone there nowadays.


The quilted effect came from the quilted jackets worn by jockeys, which Coco thought would be a good finish to the bag. Quilting the leather is also a lengthy and meticulous process which adds to the cost. The inside is lined in dark pink leather and outside the reissue of the 2.55 carries a rectangular closure clasp. This is not the Double C clasp for which Chanel designer handbags have become known recently. That clasp style was designed by Lagerfeld in his time at the helm, in the 1980s. At £1500 the price is high but this is a timeless Chanel designer bag that will last a lifetime.

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This week I was away on a rare mini-break and of course I spent some time shopping. Important shopping, of course – handbags and perfume! Thanks to the staff at Gatwick airport I got four hours’ shopping in the duty free shop as the flight was delayed.  Still, I had plenty of time to visit the Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent counters, and try their latest fragrances.  Then I found a Designer Handbag shop next to the Harrods airport shop.  This was where I looked at some great Marc by Marc Jacobs bags in black and a gorgeous shade of plum, as well as this cute little Chanel grab bag in red – I just adore red handbags!

Update November 2009 – the handbags shop at Gatwick has been CLOSED!! So if you rae saving up for that loveley discoutn designer bag you will be better off shopping here. Just follow the links to find your favourite designers online at the best prices.
Now I am travelling more often, I am thinking of getting annual travel insurance – I’ll need it to protect all those gorgeous handbags.

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Last week, before I visited the Harvey Nichols Handbag shop, I went to one of the best midweek street markets in London, Leather Lane. For women this is a fantastic place to buy clothes, shoes and, of course, replica handbags, at low prices. If you go there do not embarrass yourself like a friend of mine, and ask for a receipt!! A market like this is not a tourist rip-off joint – all the traders are licensed, and pay a high rent to be there. In spite of this there are plenty of bargains available. I bought a High Street summer top for £5 instead of £30, it fits perfectly and looks fab. Which left me more money towards my Designer Handbag Fund. While I was in Leather Lane, I noticed how many handbags were on sale: I’d say more than half the clothes stalls also carried handbags. Have a look at the photo of this handbag seller, and you will see that the craze for oversize bags is still with us!!

If you know London, you may realise that Leather Lane is just round the corner from Hatton Garden, where you could fins your ideal diamonds – maybe put them on your handbag, in the same way as Chanel have done on their Diamond Forever bag?
Read more »

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The Designer Handbag Industry is growing in importance every day and this month it received another boost from the screening of the movie version of Sex and The City. Every major handbag designer in the world wanted to see their handbags included in shots from the film. Although very few designer names were shown, the benefits for the whole industry are huge. Louis Vuitton was a prominent name but they are not included in the latest monitor of the High End Handbag sector. None less than Forbes has published a list of the most expensive handbags: wth prices now running into six figures, these economists must be burning the midnight oil to analyse the lastest designer phenomenon.

Top of the list is Chanel’s “Diamond Forever” tote Only thirteen copies of this diamond and alligator handbag have been produced. A luxury version of the classic Chanel shoulder bag, the Diamond version has iconic Chanel “Cs” encrusted with 334 diamonds (total of 3.56 carats), set in 18-carat white gold. I was relieved to learn that the alligator skin is farmed….

Also in the list of ten most costly designer bags you will find the Fendi B Bag in black crocodile ($27700), followed by the YSL Muse bag in white crocodile (cheaper at only $19000). Read more »

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When I think of Chanel – which is really the ultimate designer label, in my view – I usually think of black and white. Coco Chanel’s iconic Little Black Dress, for example, or those cute little black-and-white tweed suits. Also the packaging of my two favourite perfumes, Chanel No. 5 and Coco. But I really think this cute little red bag by Chanel is worth getting a little colourful for. Imagine how it would look, teamed with a cool black shift for the Summer.
CAT5e

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More and more women are carrying replica handbags to enjoy the look and feel of a world luxury purse without paying dearly for it! Replica handbags are lovely additions to any wardrobe. There are many styles, colors, materials, and sizes of replica handbags so everyone can accomplish the look they want.

So why are so many women choosing replica handbags? Probably the main reason is to save money, plain and simple. But there are other reasons as well. Genuine luxury handbags can cost anywhere from several hundred dollars up to $1,000. Read more »

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